


starside view

by starkiller bass (Thirteenthesiac)



Series: baptized by fire [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Actual Toddler Kylo Ren, Dancing, Darth Tantrum and his Evil Space Ginger, Hux Is Not As Drunk As He Appears, Kylo Ren Can't Dance, Kylo Ren Has Issues, M/M, Objects In Viewscreen Are Closer Than They Seem, Petulant Ren, Starkiller Base, drunk wine mom Hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-31 02:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6452128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thirteenthesiac/pseuds/starkiller%20bass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starkiller's success leads to private celebrations.<br/>Hux takes the lead, and puts Kylo Ren in his (rightful) place.<br/>The rest of the galaxy will follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	starside view

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Neffectual](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neffectual/gifts).



Hux scoffed. "The first-born son of the famed Rebellion Princess-General, unable to dance? I highly doubt your claims. Perhaps you lack the precision necessary for such a simple task." 

He curled his lip, pointedly emptying his glass of vin. 

"No matter, Ren; you do so continue to disappoint me." 

At that, one jab too many, Ren snarled, rising to seize the General by the cuff of his formal dress, yanking him from the bay seat and onto the floor. He looked a touch flustered, Hux noted, if the blush perched atop his ears were anything to go by, and the almost imperceptible shake in his gloved hand. Slightly flushed from the alcohol, Hux allowed himself to be manuoevred starside, the external lights of the _Finalizer_ dimmed here to allow for a greater view of the space before them. 

Letting go, Ren bowed, one hand to his own heart - the other held tenuously outwards in invitation. Hux accepted, a slow head tilt towards the source of music, and upon recognising it as a pre-Imperialistic minuet, he consented to be led. Ren had one hand at his waist now, the other still held in some show of fierce determination; coupled with the intense concentration on his face, Hux, very much softened by the wine, thought him adorable. 

A touch too loud perhaps, as Ren angrily let go and made to storm off, but Hux held him fast, an insistently indulgent smile that held the other still, confused, captured. Anger dissipating almost instantly, they rejoined hands, replaced with mild embarrassment and something Hux would have labelled as shyness, were it on another's face. 

Their steps were slow. Ren's robes swished around them both, occasionally catching or tripping them slightly, but he persisted, now held in Hux's much stronger, effortless lead. 

"You're not bad," Ren muttered, refusing to make eye contact. His cheeks were reddening. Hux noted this, wondering how disarrayed he seemed to the Knight of Ren, a serene smile gracing his own face. His hair had become loosened somewhat during dinner, slick gel unravelling from the tips to curl by his ears, and he knew academically how inebriated he was, but whether it showed - and how - was the question. 

By way of reply, Hux chose to dip the taller man just enough that he scrabbled ineffectually at Hux's greatcoat to stay upright, panic rising in his throat. He held him there for a moment, pleasuring in the tiny patches of stars reflected in Ren's dark brown eyes and the speckling of fear in his face. The mask made more sense now - the Knight was an open book to all - and broadcast his emotions with alarming intensity. 

"The Hux dynasty is well-versed in all forms of educative combat - " he elaborated, as Ren struggled to regain balance, " - even such things as this." 

Ren snorted, wriggled in Hux's grip; and was promptly dropped onto the floor." 

"What the - "  
"I expect loyalty and trust from you. If you cannot trust me in even this small regard..." 

He stared down at Ren, cold imperious fury building. 

"...then i do not require your services aboard this ship." 

Ren stared up at him, mouth slightly ajar. Unattractively, Hux adds, if only to watch the vein in his neck pulsate. 

"There is no place here for wild uncontrollable misfits. This is an efficient system of my own choosing, and you will conform, Snoke-be-dammed." 

"You can't make me," Ren recovered, a touch more petulant this time. He made no move, waiting for the General's lead. 

Hux merely stared back, imperiously. Unimpressed. Was he imagining the Knight recoiling slightly, or was that the wine affecting his own balance? 

"I think you'll find," he murmured, bending down so their faces were level, "I can make you do whatever I command, _Lord_ Ren." 

Confusion. He's never been spoken to like this, Hux wondered - realised - not for quite some time. "I may not have much command over your _mystical_ Force, but I assure you, I can be quite persuasive." 

Ren grumped, chain resting on one gloved hand. Attempting to look unruffled. Maskless, he just exuded more petulance, a toddler's mood running unbridled. It suited his youthful visage, a consort of anachronisms and complexities swaddled in far too many dark ragged layers. For a moment, Hux inadvisably wondered as to the form of the skin beneath the clothing, and regretted it, as almost immediately Ren spluttered, turning away slightly. The reddish tinge had spread from his ears to his cheeks now, burning just enough to contrast from his eyes. Hux savoured the moment, committing what he could to memory. It would not do to forget this. 

Ren stood abruptly, shooting up swiftly enough that Hux's loosened hair fluffed around his temples. The indeterminable expression he had one imagined Kylo, Lord of Ren, to possess, was back, and scowling with almost blind fury. 

"Perhaps you would do well to remember your place, General," he chided, tone clipped and restrained, unmodulated but lacking much of the menace he'd imagined. "Remember I can see into your mind when I need." 

"Oh?" Hux was at their table now, unconcernedly swishing his refilled cup before throwing back his concern and draining it in one. He was unable to stop the words from continuing to flow, however. "Seems to me you're in need of much more than my mind, Ren. I'm not averse to the idea." 

It was Ren's turn to stare; the blotchiness of his cheeks only increasingly growing - exponentially. His mouth opened and closed a few times, disconnected from the rest of his neural functions. Like an Alderaani manta, Hux thought treacherously, pouring himself another measure. 

"The alcohol has altered your inhibitions," Ren managed.  
"Are you refusing me?"  
"I am - I'm not - That's - "  
"You are weak."  
" _You_ are inebriated and baiting me." Ren folded his arms. "I'm not - This celebration was a waste of time. I'm leaving."  
"By all means, run away," Hux motioned, a half-flourish in the star-speckled dark. 

  


Ren considered this statement before scooping up his helmet and stomping off, even before the catches were secure. 

Hux had a feeling that he wouldn't be seeing much of Ren for the days to come. Downing his final drink, he abandoned the starside viewport and headed back to his quarters, fingers digging deep into his palms. Below him, Starkiller Base rumbled, the aftershocks finally dissipating after its successful obliteration of the Hosnian system. 

  


More would fall beneath the General's heel, and he planned Kylo Ren to be amongst them.

  


**Author's Note:**

> I spent like an hour trying to fix the formatting. That's what I get for typing on my Kindle. Fuck you, formatting, and fuck your page breaks.
> 
> My dear once-ginger wife takes great pleasure in dipping me juuuust low enough that I have no choice but to cling to her for balance. I imagine there's a nice power struggle in there somewhere, and not just that she delights in my discomfort. And she's never as drunk as she pretends to be. So she gets the dedication. The Hux to my Ren.
> 
> the minuet in question _could_ be _across the stars_ if you blink. Ren would be inordinately pleased. 
> 
> there's more of this, half-written. i may eventually post it.
> 
> written to sabaton's carolus rex. _to the skies, see carolus rise._ It's such an Emperor Hux song, and I love the idea of Carolus being his first name. I can't remember who I owe this headcanon to. Sorry?
> 
>  
> 
> My tumblr is starkilllerbass. come tell me your thoughts. i am waiting.


End file.
